Thursday News And Views

 So much news this week! I had to break it up into two posts because had I stuffed this all into one "FN&V" this would have been a novel-length post. And this sort of thing is not unprecedented for the blog. Older readers might recall that "News and Views" posts used to pop up on random days all the time back when this blog got started. So, with that said, let's dive in.....

The logo for the new "Randy's Ride" event.

Pirate Cycling League Announces "Randy's Ride":

Randy Gibson, a co-promoter for Gravel Worlds for years, was senselessly killed by a drunk driver while he was riding his bicycle in 2017. Since then, PCL members have honored Randy and his legacy in several ways, one of which was a ride on the last gravel route Randy did on the first weekend in October.  

More and more folks have joined in over the years, and so Gravel Worlds/PCL have decided to create an event celebrating Randy Gibson and the gravel cycling community he loved with the announcement of "Randy's Ride" to be held October 2nd, 2022. 

The event will definitely just be a ride. There will be no hoopla or event schwag, prizes, or timing. Basically it will be a group ride for fun and as an aside we can donate to several causes along with the PCL who will match donations up to $2,000.00. Benefactors will be  Randy Gibson Memorial Fund, Adventure for All, and Nebraska NICA.

Five bucks gets you registered for the ride. Registration is here.  https://www.bikereg.com/randys-ride.

Spinergy Wheels Stands With Ukraine:

Generally I don't get political here, but this effort on the part of Spinergy Wheels is commendable, I think. They are giving a portion of every sale of special "Stand With Ukraine" wheel sets to an outfit called World Central Kitchen who are feeding Ukrainian refugees at eight points along the border as well as supporting restaurants within the country to help feed people in the war-torn country. 

You can do this customization of their PBO spokes with one yello and one blue spoke on any Spinergy wheel set on their site that uses those spokes including the GX and GXX wheels, both of which I have and ride on. (Standard Disclaimer)

You can learn more at Spinergy's website.
 

An image I used in my RidingGravel.com review of the Breakaway bottles.

Polar Bottles Breakaway Series:

So, I just got done posting my review of Polar Bottles Breakaway series of bottles for the bike that includes a nifty little one called the Session Muck. It really was developed with full-suspension MTB's in mind, but it also works really well with the under-the-down-tube placement on a gravel or touring bike where clearances might get a little tight with the front wheel.  

Well, they also have a 30 ounce size perfect for my long-distance rides. Bonus- they do not leak goo all over my bike if I use a hydration mix. Nice! So, as many of you know from last year, I was searching for ways to carry high capacity water bottles and I was dealing with under-the-down tube mounting issues as well. These bottles help solve all of that for me.  

So, I got to keep the reviewed bottles, of course, but Polar is sending me a few more, so once again- Standard Disclaimer applies. I'll be having more to say about my bottle/hydration strategies as the season progresses. 

Ergon Announces CLF ALLROAD Carbon Seatposts, Bar Tape, Orthocell Pads:

Sea Otter is coming in a couple weeks or so, and the news is percolating up to the surface from different companies already. Ergon sent a press release out Wednesday covering new ALLROAD offerings. 

Some of you may remember the Ergon ALLROAD saddle I reviewed late last year. Well, the full line of those saddles are on the way and should be out later this Spring. 

The often seen, but seldom used Ergon suspension seat post finally gets released full-scale now under the ALLROAD range. Previously, there really was no market for the post because you could not use it for mountain biking and gravel riding was in its infancy. Earlier than this, I had actually had my hands on one of these seatposts but then Ergon suddenly did an about face and pulled it from the market.  This post, or an early version of it, has been seen since about 2006 off and on.

The post weighs a bit more than 200 grams at 220 claimed. The post will retail at $249.95 USD. There are set back and straight versions. The setback has 25mm of offset. 

I have been asked off and on over the years why Ergon had straight bar grips but there was no option for drop bars. Well, now there is the "BT Gravel" and "BT ALLROAD" bar tapes at 3.5mm and 2.5mm thicknesses respectively. The tapes will be $39.95 and $37.95 USD respectively. The BT tapes will be offered in five colors each, but there was no images or descriptions given as to what those might be. 

Additionally, there was announced an "Orthocell Pad Kit", which is like those four piece gel pad kits you can get for under the bar tape comfort. The difference here is that Ergon is using a high density foam instead of gel.  An Orthocell Pad Kit will set you back $29.95. 

Okay, look for another slew of news tomorrow! Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Thursday News And Views

 So much news this week! I had to break it up into two posts because had I stuffed this all into one "FN&V" this would have been a novel-length post. And this sort of thing is not unprecedented for the blog. Older readers might recall that "News and Views" posts used to pop up on random days all the time back when this blog got started. So, with that said, let's dive in.....

The logo for the new "Randy's Ride" event.

Pirate Cycling League Announces "Randy's Ride":

Randy Gibson, a co-promoter for Gravel Worlds for years, was senselessly killed by a drunk driver while he was riding his bicycle in 2017. Since then, PCL members have honored Randy and his legacy in several ways, one of which was a ride on the last gravel route Randy did on the first weekend in October.  

More and more folks have joined in over the years, and so Gravel Worlds/PCL have decided to create an event celebrating Randy Gibson and the gravel cycling community he loved with the announcement of "Randy's Ride" to be held October 2nd, 2022. 

The event will definitely just be a ride. There will be no hoopla or event schwag, prizes, or timing. Basically it will be a group ride for fun and as an aside we can donate to several causes along with the PCL who will match donations up to $2,000.00. Benefactors will be  Randy Gibson Memorial Fund, Adventure for All, and Nebraska NICA.

Five bucks gets you registered for the ride. Registration is here.  https://www.bikereg.com/randys-ride.

Spinergy Wheels Stands With Ukraine:

Generally I don't get political here, but this effort on the part of Spinergy Wheels is commendable, I think. They are giving a portion of every sale of special "Stand With Ukraine" wheel sets to an outfit called World Central Kitchen who are feeding Ukrainian refugees at eight points along the border as well as supporting restaurants within the country to help feed people in the war-torn country. 

You can do this customization of their PBO spokes with one yello and one blue spoke on any Spinergy wheel set on their site that uses those spokes including the GX and GXX wheels, both of which I have and ride on. (Standard Disclaimer)

You can learn more at Spinergy's website.
 

An image I used in my RidingGravel.com review of the Breakaway bottles.

Polar Bottles Breakaway Series:

So, I just got done posting my review of Polar Bottles Breakaway series of bottles for the bike that includes a nifty little one called the Session Muck. It really was developed with full-suspension MTB's in mind, but it also works really well with the under-the-down-tube placement on a gravel or touring bike where clearances might get a little tight with the front wheel.  

Well, they also have a 30 ounce size perfect for my long-distance rides. Bonus- they do not leak goo all over my bike if I use a hydration mix. Nice! So, as many of you know from last year, I was searching for ways to carry high capacity water bottles and I was dealing with under-the-down tube mounting issues as well. These bottles help solve all of that for me.  

So, I got to keep the reviewed bottles, of course, but Polar is sending me a few more, so once again- Standard Disclaimer applies. I'll be having more to say about my bottle/hydration strategies as the season progresses. 

Ergon Announces CLF ALLROAD Carbon Seatposts, Bar Tape, Orthocell Pads:

Sea Otter is coming in a couple weeks or so, and the news is percolating up to the surface from different companies already. Ergon sent a press release out Wednesday covering new ALLROAD offerings. 

Some of you may remember the Ergon ALLROAD saddle I reviewed late last year. Well, the full line of those saddles are on the way and should be out later this Spring. 

The often seen, but seldom used Ergon suspension seat post finally gets released full-scale now under the ALLROAD range. Previously, there really was no market for the post because you could not use it for mountain biking and gravel riding was in its infancy. Earlier than this, I had actually had my hands on one of these seatposts but then Ergon suddenly did an about face and pulled it from the market.  This post, or an early version of it, has been seen since about 2006 off and on.

The post weighs a bit more than 200 grams at 220 claimed. The post will retail at $249.95 USD. There are set back and straight versions. The setback has 25mm of offset. 

I have been asked off and on over the years why Ergon had straight bar grips but there was no option for drop bars. Well, now there is the "BT Gravel" and "BT ALLROAD" bar tapes at 3.5mm and 2.5mm thicknesses respectively. The tapes will be $39.95 and $37.95 USD respectively. The BT tapes will be offered in five colors each, but there was no images or descriptions given as to what those might be. 

Additionally, there was announced an "Orthocell Pad Kit", which is like those four piece gel pad kits you can get for under the bar tape comfort. The difference here is that Ergon is using a high density foam instead of gel.  An Orthocell Pad Kit will set you back $29.95. 

Okay, look for another slew of news tomorrow! Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Brown Season: Ride Edited

Escape Route: Hoff Road

 Well, technically speaking, it is still Winter, but what I am looking at is early Spring here. "Shoulder Season", some call it. I say it is "Brown Season" because everything is dead and some shade of brown. Anyway, the point is, it sure doesn't look like Winter, so I am calling this here little ride report a "Brown Season" report. Winter could come back, sure, but so far it is looking more and more like Spring around here.

Sunday was the primo day for riding, but I had other things going on. I missed a 50+ degree day and Sun. Monday was great, by anyone's February standards around here, and so I left for a ride in the morning with a temperature of 36°F and a stiff Easterly wind at 20mph with gusts up close to 30mph. 

Hey! I'll take it. The thing is, I was in a mind to do some longer miles, but that all changed once I got out into the teeth of that wind. My thought originally was go to ride the North parts of Black Hawk County, but the wind direction made me change my mind and I ended up departing from Prairie Grove Park again. I thought maybe I would retrace my route I took with Ben last Fall, but again- that wind! I decided it best to edit my ride on the fly.

New bottles to test and that Redshift Sports seat post there as well.

I ended up chasing the rural garbage truck for a bit there.

One of the new wrinkles to my 2022 and beyond (maybe) is that I will be doing a lot more weekday riding as opposed to weekends like most folks. Already I have run into something I never see on a weekend. A rural garbage truck! Apparently they do things 'old school' for waste removal yet in Black Hawk County. The truck was operated by two men and they hand-loaded the bin with the refuse they were picking up. Kinda like the old days when I was a kid, only the one guy that wasn't driving was always hanging off the back of the truck. 

Is that a hint of something green in that field to the right? I think it is!

Going East was......brutal. It was about as bad as it gets. Cold, rough, and I was barely moving. But I was moving, and steady pace would get me to Ansborough and I figured I could turn South there. When I reached that corner it was as if a giant took his big hands off my handlebars, and instead of feeling that constant push-back, I could move freely again. 

So, another edit was coming. I had already figured on not going East anymore, but going South was no picnic, despite the freedom of movement. In fact, I was thinking I might get blown over if the wind were to gust suddenly. So, I ended up cutting off to the West and man! Was that ever easier!

Storm clouds gathering in the North.

The first dog of 2022 was a chaser!

I wasn't too sad about doing a short ride after all. At least I got out, found out a few things, and got some exercise and a bit of a mind scrub. I also discovered we now have a new four-footed creature to deal with on Aker Road now. 

I heard the little pipsqueak first, then I saw the frantic movements of a black, furry, four-footed devil in a cow pasture. He was sporting for some fun, and was in a mood to chase, but he was hemmed in by the fencing. Not to be deterred, the dog headed for a break in the fence, (running away from me to get there) and then around and onward!

The little mutt made a beeline for me, but I could see that his angle of attack was way off. (This isn't my first rodeo) and so I decided it was time for some 'dog-sprints'. I wound up the drive train and saw that I had a good jump on the creature, so I hit the big ring and off we went.

The dog came out on the road alright, but I waited for a bit to put in a big effort, and when I pulled away a bit, the dog gave over. Whew! I was running out of gas too, so I was pleased to see that I had outrun the ankle-biter. So, if you are North of Wasburn Road on Aker this dog is at the farm on the East side of the road just North of the intersection. 

Don't say I never told ya anything......

Brown Season: Ride Edited

Escape Route: Hoff Road

 Well, technically speaking, it is still Winter, but what I am looking at is early Spring here. "Shoulder Season", some call it. I say it is "Brown Season" because everything is dead and some shade of brown. Anyway, the point is, it sure doesn't look like Winter, so I am calling this here little ride report a "Brown Season" report. Winter could come back, sure, but so far it is looking more and more like Spring around here.

Sunday was the primo day for riding, but I had other things going on. I missed a 50+ degree day and Sun. Monday was great, by anyone's February standards around here, and so I left for a ride in the morning with a temperature of 36°F and a stiff Easterly wind at 20mph with gusts up close to 30mph. 

Hey! I'll take it. The thing is, I was in a mind to do some longer miles, but that all changed once I got out into the teeth of that wind. My thought originally was go to ride the North parts of Black Hawk County, but the wind direction made me change my mind and I ended up departing from Prairie Grove Park again. I thought maybe I would retrace my route I took with Ben last Fall, but again- that wind! I decided it best to edit my ride on the fly.

New bottles to test and that Redshift Sports seat post there as well.

I ended up chasing the rural garbage truck for a bit there.

One of the new wrinkles to my 2022 and beyond (maybe) is that I will be doing a lot more weekday riding as opposed to weekends like most folks. Already I have run into something I never see on a weekend. A rural garbage truck! Apparently they do things 'old school' for waste removal yet in Black Hawk County. The truck was operated by two men and they hand-loaded the bin with the refuse they were picking up. Kinda like the old days when I was a kid, only the one guy that wasn't driving was always hanging off the back of the truck. 

Is that a hint of something green in that field to the right? I think it is!

Going East was......brutal. It was about as bad as it gets. Cold, rough, and I was barely moving. But I was moving, and steady pace would get me to Ansborough and I figured I could turn South there. When I reached that corner it was as if a giant took his big hands off my handlebars, and instead of feeling that constant push-back, I could move freely again. 

So, another edit was coming. I had already figured on not going East anymore, but going South was no picnic, despite the freedom of movement. In fact, I was thinking I might get blown over if the wind were to gust suddenly. So, I ended up cutting off to the West and man! Was that ever easier!

Storm clouds gathering in the North.

The first dog of 2022 was a chaser!

I wasn't too sad about doing a short ride after all. At least I got out, found out a few things, and got some exercise and a bit of a mind scrub. I also discovered we now have a new four-footed creature to deal with on Aker Road now. 

I heard the little pipsqueak first, then I saw the frantic movements of a black, furry, four-footed devil in a cow pasture. He was sporting for some fun, and was in a mood to chase, but he was hemmed in by the fencing. Not to be deterred, the dog headed for a break in the fence, (running away from me to get there) and then around and onward!

The little mutt made a beeline for me, but I could see that his angle of attack was way off. (This isn't my first rodeo) and so I decided it was time for some 'dog-sprints'. I wound up the drive train and saw that I had a good jump on the creature, so I hit the big ring and off we went.

The dog came out on the road alright, but I waited for a bit to put in a big effort, and when I pulled away a bit, the dog gave over. Whew! I was running out of gas too, so I was pleased to see that I had outrun the ankle-biter. So, if you are North of Wasburn Road on Aker this dog is at the farm on the East side of the road just North of the intersection. 

Don't say I never told ya anything......

Seat Post Testing: Final Thoughts And Observations

L-R: The PRO Carbon post, Whiskey Carbon post, Specialized C-GR

Over the past month, month and a half, I have been trading off rides on various vibration absorbing seat posts. I'll admit right up front that this article is all about my subjective opinions and that these observations are not scientifically arrived at. So, boo-hoo if you are looking for numbers and data to crunch here because I'm not going to go into that realm. Not that science is bad, I just cannot afford it. So, you get my considered opinions. If that matters to you, great, if not......well, see ya next time. 

The posts I used included the Specialized C-GR, the Whiskey Parts No. 7 seat post, the PRO Carbon post, the PRO Aluminum post, and the vaunted Redshift Sports ShockStop suspension seat post.

So, let me get the obvious out of the way right up front: Nothing was as comfortable to ride as the Redshift post. Not even close. Secondly- nothing else was nearly as heavy as the Redshift post. To get that level of isolation from vibrations, that comes at a monetary and weight compromise, versus something like the Whiskey No. 7 Carbon Post, which is light and costs under a hundred bucks. But obviously, that Whiskey post, or the others I mentioned, don't have anywhere near that level of smooth.

So, with the Redshift post being the outlier, what post would I go with out of the others? The PRO Carbon post, with the Dyneema fabric, is really light at about 215 grams or so. The C-GR is supposedly pretty cushy too, and that Whiskey post is the least expensive of the lot and has a smooth ride to boot. They are all at about the same level of comfort here, but that said, there are some clear distinctions.

The C-GR is clearly the best feeling post, in terms of what you don't feel. That isn't to say that its claims of 'travel' are there. I didn't feel it being any smoother than the Whiskey post, as an example. However; it does mute a lot of vibrations. In that area, it was the best of the lot of rigid posts. (I classify it as rigid since I don't get any sensation the C-GR actually has any travel) The bad thing? Set back, which the C-GR has a LOT of. If you don't like a lot of set back- don't even look at this post.

The PRO Carbon was probably the next best at vibration absorbing. It supposedly has deflection as well, but the C-GR and this post have similar feeling bump absorbing capabilities. The C-GR just mutes a bit different frequencies, and I thought it edged out the PRO, but barely. Obviously, this post has a reasonable set back, a very usable saddle fore/aft range, and it has the easiest to use clamp of the lot by far.

The PRO Carbon post here.

The Whiskey Post has probably the most deflection here, so if bumps are more of an issue, this post is by far the winner. It does okay in terms of vibration damping, but it doesn't surpass or even attain to the C-GR or the Pro Carbon. It weighs a bit more than the C-GR and is quite a bit heavier than the featherweight PRO Carbon post at 273 grams. As mentioned, this post costs the least amount, by far.

The PRO Aluminum post was the control here, and it does what the majority of good aluminum posts do. By the way, I have three titanium Salsa Cycles Regulator posts as well. That post is the heaviest of the rigid posts here and has about the same deflection as most of these. It is probably the toughest post of all here. So, I'll throw that out as well. (For a bit more detail on the Ti Regulator, here is a post I wrote about it)

All these posts have clear, winning attributes, it just depends on what you expect out of a post. Here is my breakdown;

• Specialized C-GR: Best at vibration damping. Bad at positioning unless you like set back, expensive.
• PRO Carbon, Almost as good at vibration damping as the C-GR, reasonable set back, best clamp, lightest, but EXPENSIVE. 
• Whiskey No. 7: Great bump eater, reasonably light, CHEAP, but a tad heavy. TONS of value for a gravel bike here. 
• Salsa Cycles Regulator Ti. HEAVY, TOUGH, EXPENSIVE. Probably will not break. Good ride feel. 

Winner for me? Whiskey No. 7. It does all the things reasonably well and doesn't break your wallet into tiny pieces forever. But a 'money-no-object' winner would be the PRO Carbon post for sure. Finally, the Ti Regulator is probably going to outlast me, is cool looking, and rides well enough. If carbon is out of the question, then that would be my choice. I cannot recommend the C-GR to many people. That massive set back is just too extreme.

But oh! That Redshift post is sooooo smoove! Damn the weight. That's my long distance winner everyday.

Seat Post Testing: Final Thoughts And Observations

L-R: The PRO Carbon post, Whiskey Carbon post, Specialized C-GR

Over the past month, month and a half, I have been trading off rides on various vibration absorbing seat posts. I'll admit right up front that this article is all about my subjective opinions and that these observations are not scientifically arrived at. So, boo-hoo if you are looking for numbers and data to crunch here because I'm not going to go into that realm. Not that science is bad, I just cannot afford it. So, you get my considered opinions. If that matters to you, great, if not......well, see ya next time. 

The posts I used included the Specialized C-GR, the Whiskey Parts No. 7 seat post, the PRO Carbon post, the PRO Aluminum post, and the vaunted Redshift Sports ShockStop suspension seat post.

So, let me get the obvious out of the way right up front: Nothing was as comfortable to ride as the Redshift post. Not even close. Secondly- nothing else was nearly as heavy as the Redshift post. To get that level of isolation from vibrations, that comes at a monetary and weight compromise, versus something like the Whiskey No. 7 Carbon Post, which is light and costs under a hundred bucks. But obviously, that Whiskey post, or the others I mentioned, don't have anywhere near that level of smooth.

So, with the Redshift post being the outlier, what post would I go with out of the others? The PRO Carbon post, with the Dyneema fabric, is really light at about 215 grams or so. The C-GR is supposedly pretty cushy too, and that Whiskey post is the least expensive of the lot and has a smooth ride to boot. They are all at about the same level of comfort here, but that said, there are some clear distinctions.

The C-GR is clearly the best feeling post, in terms of what you don't feel. That isn't to say that its claims of 'travel' are there. I didn't feel it being any smoother than the Whiskey post, as an example. However; it does mute a lot of vibrations. In that area, it was the best of the lot of rigid posts. (I classify it as rigid since I don't get any sensation the C-GR actually has any travel) The bad thing? Set back, which the C-GR has a LOT of. If you don't like a lot of set back- don't even look at this post.

The PRO Carbon was probably the next best at vibration absorbing. It supposedly has deflection as well, but the C-GR and this post have similar feeling bump absorbing capabilities. The C-GR just mutes a bit different frequencies, and I thought it edged out the PRO, but barely. Obviously, this post has a reasonable set back, a very usable saddle fore/aft range, and it has the easiest to use clamp of the lot by far.

The PRO Carbon post here.

The Whiskey Post has probably the most deflection here, so if bumps are more of an issue, this post is by far the winner. It does okay in terms of vibration damping, but it doesn't surpass or even attain to the C-GR or the Pro Carbon. It weighs a bit more than the C-GR and is quite a bit heavier than the featherweight PRO Carbon post at 273 grams. As mentioned, this post costs the least amount, by far.

The PRO Aluminum post was the control here, and it does what the majority of good aluminum posts do. By the way, I have three titanium Salsa Cycles Regulator posts as well. That post is the heaviest of the rigid posts here and has about the same deflection as most of these. It is probably the toughest post of all here. So, I'll throw that out as well. (For a bit more detail on the Ti Regulator, here is a post I wrote about it)

All these posts have clear, winning attributes, it just depends on what you expect out of a post. Here is my breakdown;

• Specialized C-GR: Best at vibration damping. Bad at positioning unless you like set back, expensive.
• PRO Carbon, Almost as good at vibration damping as the C-GR, reasonable set back, best clamp, lightest, but EXPENSIVE. 
• Whiskey No. 7: Great bump eater, reasonably light, CHEAP, but a tad heavy. TONS of value for a gravel bike here. 
• Salsa Cycles Regulator Ti. HEAVY, TOUGH, EXPENSIVE. Probably will not break. Good ride feel. 

Winner for me? Whiskey No. 7. It does all the things reasonably well and doesn't break your wallet into tiny pieces forever. But a 'money-no-object' winner would be the PRO Carbon post for sure. Finally, the Ti Regulator is probably going to outlast me, is cool looking, and rides well enough. If carbon is out of the question, then that would be my choice. I cannot recommend the C-GR to many people. That massive set back is just too extreme.

But oh! That Redshift post is sooooo smoove! Damn the weight. That's my long distance winner everyday.

Friday News And Views

The full announcement made Tuesday of this week.

Viruses and Gravel Don't Mix: 

As you all know by now, everything is cancelled that is fun. That or postponed. I don't care if I don't hear "cancelled" or "postponed" again for.......years! I'm getting pretty worn out by it all now, as I am sure many of you out there are as well.

However; there are always consequences. That's one thing we haven't looked at much yet. One of the MAJOR consequences of all these postponements and potential postponements is that the month of October, for whatever reason, is getting all the rescheduled dates I am seeing. Iowa Wind And Rock, is one of the major ones doing that here. But many other events nationwide that should be happening now, or in April, are looking to October now. Why October?

I'm going to take a stab and say that insurance is one reason why. Many policies for events let you slide a date, but only for so long. October may be as late as some can push their events back to. School starting and other concerns may also play a part here, and of course, weather plays a factor here as well. But I know from our C.O.G. 100 rescheduling choices that October is really an attractive choice, but my concern is that all these Spring events are going to essentially cannibalize the already scheduled Fall events. You know, there are only so many things a person can do, and since Spring is, for all intents and purposes, going to be devoid of events, and maybe even the beginning of Summer, (who knows?) everyone is looking to Fall to push their event to and hold it, despite what is already going to be happening anyway.

The big domino yet to fall is the Dirty Kanza. If- and I stress IF - they decide to reschedule, and IF they choose Fall to do that, (and all bets would be pretty sure if you place them on a cooler Fall day for that location), then that event will suck away a huge number of potential riders. Not to mention college football, high school football, school, and other fall activities like cyclo cross. Ya know, I don't see it working out real well if everybody chooses a Fall date. Might be better just to write off 2020 as a complete loss and go to 2021.

But we'll see.

Industry papers are reporting that Europe factory closures are further damping HPC sales.

HPC Production Further Hurt By Factory Closures In Europe:

The COVID-19 effects roll on as not only has Chinese production taken a hit, but now it is reported that the big electric Hybrid Powered Cycles (HPC) manufacturers are being affected in Europe by factory closures. While sales were expected to increase over last year by double-digit percentages, I would assume expectations are being tempered somewhat by the closures.

This news should also affect saddles and shoes for cycling, not to mention clothing, all of which comes from Northern Italy where the pandemic has hit pretty hard. What the results will be are yet to be seen, but I wouldn't be surprised to see disruptions in supply over the course of 2020 and perhaps into next year depending upon how long this lasts.

Seat post testing: Here the Noble Bikes GX5 is set up with the Specialized C-GR post.

Seat Post Testing: 

Seat posts have the potential for being a vibration absorbing component on many gravel bikes, especially with the extensions many gravel bikes require. All that bare seat post can be effective in making for a smoother ride if the post is designed correctly.

I am using a few posts now which promise to have a nice, vibration absorbing ride. The PRO Dyneema Carbon post was first. Now I've got the Specialized C-GR post cued up and I've ridden it a little bit. My impressions so far are that it is slicing hairs to compare these things. I have also been running a Whiskey carbon post along with the Ti Regulator Salsa post for some time. Really........I gotta say that they are all pretty similar. Maybe one is feeling nicer on one day and a different one feels better on another day. That's how blurry the lines are between all these posts.

I'll continue to explore the differences as the gravel roads get better and the weather warms some more. But I suspect I am going to find that there isn't a hill of beans of difference between all the carbon/titanium posts and they all will compare unfavorably to the suspension posts. There is just a huge difference in feel once you go to a full on mechanically suspended post.  Traditional passive flexing posts just don't match up here.

So, the bottom line will likely be that if you are seeking relief from vibrations and bumps in terms of gravel riding, then go suspended on the seat post. The best a passive flexing post can do is take the zing out of a hit or maybe damp a little bit of the frequency range. I'll come back with a final write up on this subject and I will also give you reasons why a suspension seat post may be a bad idea.

From last year's GTDRI

 Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational 2020 Cancelled:

In light of our new realities here, I am going to go ahead and cancel the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational for 2020. It is my belief that it would be irresponsible to hold such an event in light of the suggestions that the COVID-19 pandemic may not be 100% wrapped up by that time.

And even if it is, which right now would be a minor miracle, I am going to clear this event off people's radar so that they can make other plans, just in case I am wrong. My belief is we won't be out of the woods yet by late July.

My suggestion is that we all do our own adventure rides and get used to being alone, or maybe with another companion. But practicing social distancing in a group is not workable. Not in my opinion. (See yesterday's post)

My intentions are to ride the course to vet it out and then, if it works out, I will use this route I have planned for a 2021 ride. We will see how that all works out. Look for posts concerning this throughout Spring and Summer.

Andy's Bike Shop Video: Earlier this week I promised you all that I would post that link to the video we did reviewing a couple of Giant Revolt gravel bikes. If you care to see that, here is that link. WARNING: They tell me I have more of a "radio face", so be prepared! Ha!

Remember CIOCC?  They are back in the UK.

Italian Speakers Will Laugh Now:

When I first got into working on bicycles, the shop I worked at had a large selection of Italian made frames for sale. There were the "common" Bianchi frames, Colnago, DeBernadi, Gios, and more I cannot remember.

Among all the Italian marques though, the most mysterious one to me was CIOCC. No one seemed to know a whole lot about about them, and then ........how the heck do you pronounce THAT name?!!

Now there were a few people that had those bikes in the area back then and we tried pronouncing the name to the best of our Mid-Western ways. We arrived on something that sounded like "chee-ohch". Well, since no one I knew spoke Italian, how were we to know back in the 90's? It wasn't like we could look it up on the innergoogles, ya know!

So, the other day I get a press release for this brand announcing their return to the UK market. The press release tells how to pronounce the name! So, apparently it is like saying "church" without much of the "r" in that word. Try it. Once you say it, I think a green light will go off and it will make sense. How we used to say that name in the 90's never sat right with me.

Anyway, the bikes! They have a gravel bike, of course, which is steel and is quite fetching, as seen here in brown. But they also do steel classic road frames, titanium road frames (gorgeous, by the way), and carbon fiber. All of Italian manufacture, and all beautiful to look at. Too bad we won't see them over here.

I apologize for the bummer FN&V this week, but it is what it is now. Hopefully better news is on the horizon. Stay safe and stay positive!

Friday News And Views

The full announcement made Tuesday of this week.

Viruses and Gravel Don't Mix: 

As you all know by now, everything is cancelled that is fun. That or postponed. I don't care if I don't hear "cancelled" or "postponed" again for.......years! I'm getting pretty worn out by it all now, as I am sure many of you out there are as well.

However; there are always consequences. That's one thing we haven't looked at much yet. One of the MAJOR consequences of all these postponements and potential postponements is that the month of October, for whatever reason, is getting all the rescheduled dates I am seeing. Iowa Wind And Rock, is one of the major ones doing that here. But many other events nationwide that should be happening now, or in April, are looking to October now. Why October?

I'm going to take a stab and say that insurance is one reason why. Many policies for events let you slide a date, but only for so long. October may be as late as some can push their events back to. School starting and other concerns may also play a part here, and of course, weather plays a factor here as well. But I know from our C.O.G. 100 rescheduling choices that October is really an attractive choice, but my concern is that all these Spring events are going to essentially cannibalize the already scheduled Fall events. You know, there are only so many things a person can do, and since Spring is, for all intents and purposes, going to be devoid of events, and maybe even the beginning of Summer, (who knows?) everyone is looking to Fall to push their event to and hold it, despite what is already going to be happening anyway.

The big domino yet to fall is the Dirty Kanza. If- and I stress IF - they decide to reschedule, and IF they choose Fall to do that, (and all bets would be pretty sure if you place them on a cooler Fall day for that location), then that event will suck away a huge number of potential riders. Not to mention college football, high school football, school, and other fall activities like cyclo cross. Ya know, I don't see it working out real well if everybody chooses a Fall date. Might be better just to write off 2020 as a complete loss and go to 2021.

But we'll see.

Industry papers are reporting that Europe factory closures are further damping HPC sales.

HPC Production Further Hurt By Factory Closures In Europe:

The COVID-19 effects roll on as not only has Chinese production taken a hit, but now it is reported that the big electric Hybrid Powered Cycles (HPC) manufacturers are being affected in Europe by factory closures. While sales were expected to increase over last year by double-digit percentages, I would assume expectations are being tempered somewhat by the closures.

This news should also affect saddles and shoes for cycling, not to mention clothing, all of which comes from Northern Italy where the pandemic has hit pretty hard. What the results will be are yet to be seen, but I wouldn't be surprised to see disruptions in supply over the course of 2020 and perhaps into next year depending upon how long this lasts.

Seat post testing: Here the Noble Bikes GX5 is set up with the Specialized C-GR post.

Seat Post Testing: 

Seat posts have the potential for being a vibration absorbing component on many gravel bikes, especially with the extensions many gravel bikes require. All that bare seat post can be effective in making for a smoother ride if the post is designed correctly.

I am using a few posts now which promise to have a nice, vibration absorbing ride. The PRO Dyneema Carbon post was first. Now I've got the Specialized C-GR post cued up and I've ridden it a little bit. My impressions so far are that it is slicing hairs to compare these things. I have also been running a Whiskey carbon post along with the Ti Regulator Salsa post for some time. Really........I gotta say that they are all pretty similar. Maybe one is feeling nicer on one day and a different one feels better on another day. That's how blurry the lines are between all these posts.

I'll continue to explore the differences as the gravel roads get better and the weather warms some more. But I suspect I am going to find that there isn't a hill of beans of difference between all the carbon/titanium posts and they all will compare unfavorably to the suspension posts. There is just a huge difference in feel once you go to a full on mechanically suspended post.  Traditional passive flexing posts just don't match up here.

So, the bottom line will likely be that if you are seeking relief from vibrations and bumps in terms of gravel riding, then go suspended on the seat post. The best a passive flexing post can do is take the zing out of a hit or maybe damp a little bit of the frequency range. I'll come back with a final write up on this subject and I will also give you reasons why a suspension seat post may be a bad idea.

From last year's GTDRI

 Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational 2020 Cancelled:

In light of our new realities here, I am going to go ahead and cancel the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational for 2020. It is my belief that it would be irresponsible to hold such an event in light of the suggestions that the COVID-19 pandemic may not be 100% wrapped up by that time.

And even if it is, which right now would be a minor miracle, I am going to clear this event off people's radar so that they can make other plans, just in case I am wrong. My belief is we won't be out of the woods yet by late July.

My suggestion is that we all do our own adventure rides and get used to being alone, or maybe with another companion. But practicing social distancing in a group is not workable. Not in my opinion. (See yesterday's post)

My intentions are to ride the course to vet it out and then, if it works out, I will use this route I have planned for a 2021 ride. We will see how that all works out. Look for posts concerning this throughout Spring and Summer.

Andy's Bike Shop Video: Earlier this week I promised you all that I would post that link to the video we did reviewing a couple of Giant Revolt gravel bikes. If you care to see that, here is that link. WARNING: They tell me I have more of a "radio face", so be prepared! Ha!

Remember CIOCC?  They are back in the UK.

Italian Speakers Will Laugh Now:

When I first got into working on bicycles, the shop I worked at had a large selection of Italian made frames for sale. There were the "common" Bianchi frames, Colnago, DeBernadi, Gios, and more I cannot remember.

Among all the Italian marques though, the most mysterious one to me was CIOCC. No one seemed to know a whole lot about about them, and then ........how the heck do you pronounce THAT name?!!

Now there were a few people that had those bikes in the area back then and we tried pronouncing the name to the best of our Mid-Western ways. We arrived on something that sounded like "chee-ohch". Well, since no one I knew spoke Italian, how were we to know back in the 90's? It wasn't like we could look it up on the innergoogles, ya know!

So, the other day I get a press release for this brand announcing their return to the UK market. The press release tells how to pronounce the name! So, apparently it is like saying "church" without much of the "r" in that word. Try it. Once you say it, I think a green light will go off and it will make sense. How we used to say that name in the 90's never sat right with me.

Anyway, the bikes! They have a gravel bike, of course, which is steel and is quite fetching, as seen here in brown. But they also do steel classic road frames, titanium road frames (gorgeous, by the way), and carbon fiber. All of Italian manufacture, and all beautiful to look at. Too bad we won't see them over here.

I apologize for the bummer FN&V this week, but it is what it is now. Hopefully better news is on the horizon. Stay safe and stay positive!

Friday News And Views

Trade mags are reporting lots of disruption due to the COVID-19 Virus.

NAHBS Reschedules Due To COVID-19 Virus Issues - Other Events Threatened: 

As you probably know, the world at  large is being disrupted in several ways due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak. Supply chains from the Far East are behind schedule and fears are rampant that bicycle retailers will have little inventory come the Summer which is peak season for retailers in North America.

Events are not without disruption as well. The UAE Tour was cut short and several people associated with that event have been held in quarantine since. Apparently several Northern Italian classics are under the threat of cancellation or postponement. Thursday the news came out that the Strade Bianche has been cancelled due to fears surrounding this virus. Now word comes from the trade paper, "BRAIN", that NAHBS, the handmade bicycle show to be held in Texas soon, has been postponed until August now. Even Sea Otter is postponing their 2020 event due to this virus according to another "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" article.

While widespread outbreak of the COVID-19 virus has not occurred here in the U.S., it is conceivable that large scale gravel events may also be threatened to postpone or cancel if that were to occur. It is something to keep our eyes on, certainly, but for now, there is little concern that this may happen. The inventory issues retailers will likely face is definitely of much greater concern at this time.

To go "boinger" or to go "bendy"? That is the question.

 Seat Post Challenge: 

So I've had the unique opportunity to use some excellent vibration damping seat posts in the past, and now in the present, and I have future opportunities awaiting me as well. That means I am in the perfect position to give a "Seat Post Challenge" review. Here's my thinking so far coming into this.....

First of all, the obvious thing to assume is that a suspension seat post is the "clear winner". But is it? My experiences have been mixed here. Sometimes a suspension seat post, like the Kinekt, or the Redshift ShockStop, is a great thing to have on a ride. Sometimes it feels like a power-sucking tool of the devil. Besides the fact that these things weigh a metric ton compared to standard posts, which matters. Some aren't very friendly to seat packs either. So, a suspension seat post isn't necessarily the answer, and sometimes it is a negative.

Then you have the "flexible" posts. Posts made from carbon fiber, and to a lesser degree, titanium and then aluminum. These are much more familiar feeling, can handle seat bag mounting, and almost always weigh less than a suspension seat post ever will. (This depends upon how you classify the Specialized CG-R post) That said, carbon fiber, while strong, can break catastrophically with dangerous consequences. (No hyperbole here- it's happened to me.) Many folks don't want that possibility nor want to have to deal with consequences of a possible break in a carbon post out in The Styx of rural America. Obviously, metal posts have a more robust track record, but they flex even less in most instances, so you give up a lot of comfort for peace of mind.

I've got two suspension seat posts, (Cane Creek and Redshift), experience on two versions of the Kinekt, and the Specialized CG-R, if you categorize that as "suspension". I've got that PRO Carbon with Dyneema post, a Whiskey Parts post, and a couple Salsa Regulator Titanium posts around here. Plus several standard aluminum posts including a Thomson or two. Between all those, and my experiences, I should be able to come to some conclusions.

I've been looking into accelerometers  for my iPhone to see if that wouldn't aid me in my quest to see what works and what doesn't. I've seen a few things but I haven't pulled the trigger yet. However; even if that doesn't happen, I'm going through with this. So, stay tuned for my results throughout the coming Spring weeks.

The Noble GX5 will be sporting the aMTBer Smoothe Lube to start.

 Lube-Off To Get Underway:

I've got two bikes set to go now on the Lube-Off which was announced recently. The contenders are WPL Wet Lube, Lilly Lube, and the aMTBer Smoothe Lube 1.2.

The Noble GX5 will be sporting the Smoothe Lube 1.2 and as a matter of fact, it has had it on for a while already. I'll be doing a finishing up on time with that lube and then move this bike over to the WPL Wet Lube to get that rotated into the mix.

The Fargo Gen I will be getting Lilly Lube. Although the Lilly Lube says it can go over any previous lube, since it self-cleans, I will be stripping the Fargo's chain anyway and keeping a level playing field with regard to the other lubricants in this test/shoot-out. So, I should be started with all of this as you read this today. Look for any updates soon, as the time limitation is six hours, and after that a final verdict on each lube is given.

The "control" lube is still the DuMonde Tech lube which I am running on the pink Black Mountain Cycles MCD. I already have a couple hours on that one as well. Keep in mind, the chain was touched up after the last Lube-Off and has not had any maintenance since that time.

 C.O.G. 100 Hats:

Check it out! N.Y. Roll models the new C.O.G. 100 hats which just came in Wednesday. Each participant in the event is going to receive one of these at either the pre-race event at Peace Tree downtown Grinnell, or you will get it when you check in at the event venue.

The design was put together by myself and executed by Bike Rags which is located here in Iowa. Check them out if you need any custom apparel for your club, team, or event. N.Y. Roll and I have been pretty happy with their stuff and customer service is top notch. Bike Rags is our supplier for the Iowa Single Speed Gravel Championship jerseys as well.

I have access to a few extras in regards to the hats. One is spoken for. I may have a couple others. If you really have to have one, make me an offer. I'll see what I can do. Otherwise this is it. We wanted to keep these special for those riders that committed to the C.O.G.100.


Okay, that's all for this week! Have a great weekend and get out there and ride!

Friday News And Views

Trade mags are reporting lots of disruption due to the COVID-19 Virus.

NAHBS Reschedules Due To COVID-19 Virus Issues - Other Events Threatened: 

As you probably know, the world at  large is being disrupted in several ways due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak. Supply chains from the Far East are behind schedule and fears are rampant that bicycle retailers will have little inventory come the Summer which is peak season for retailers in North America.

Events are not without disruption as well. The UAE Tour was cut short and several people associated with that event have been held in quarantine since. Apparently several Northern Italian classics are under the threat of cancellation or postponement. Thursday the news came out that the Strade Bianche has been cancelled due to fears surrounding this virus. Now word comes from the trade paper, "BRAIN", that NAHBS, the handmade bicycle show to be held in Texas soon, has been postponed until August now. Even Sea Otter is postponing their 2020 event due to this virus according to another "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" article.

While widespread outbreak of the COVID-19 virus has not occurred here in the U.S., it is conceivable that large scale gravel events may also be threatened to postpone or cancel if that were to occur. It is something to keep our eyes on, certainly, but for now, there is little concern that this may happen. The inventory issues retailers will likely face is definitely of much greater concern at this time.

To go "boinger" or to go "bendy"? That is the question.

 Seat Post Challenge: 

So I've had the unique opportunity to use some excellent vibration damping seat posts in the past, and now in the present, and I have future opportunities awaiting me as well. That means I am in the perfect position to give a "Seat Post Challenge" review. Here's my thinking so far coming into this.....

First of all, the obvious thing to assume is that a suspension seat post is the "clear winner". But is it? My experiences have been mixed here. Sometimes a suspension seat post, like the Kinekt, or the Redshift ShockStop, is a great thing to have on a ride. Sometimes it feels like a power-sucking tool of the devil. Besides the fact that these things weigh a metric ton compared to standard posts, which matters. Some aren't very friendly to seat packs either. So, a suspension seat post isn't necessarily the answer, and sometimes it is a negative.

Then you have the "flexible" posts. Posts made from carbon fiber, and to a lesser degree, titanium and then aluminum. These are much more familiar feeling, can handle seat bag mounting, and almost always weigh less than a suspension seat post ever will. (This depends upon how you classify the Specialized CG-R post) That said, carbon fiber, while strong, can break catastrophically with dangerous consequences. (No hyperbole here- it's happened to me.) Many folks don't want that possibility nor want to have to deal with consequences of a possible break in a carbon post out in The Styx of rural America. Obviously, metal posts have a more robust track record, but they flex even less in most instances, so you give up a lot of comfort for peace of mind.

I've got two suspension seat posts, (Cane Creek and Redshift), experience on two versions of the Kinekt, and the Specialized CG-R, if you categorize that as "suspension". I've got that PRO Carbon with Dyneema post, a Whiskey Parts post, and a couple Salsa Regulator Titanium posts around here. Plus several standard aluminum posts including a Thomson or two. Between all those, and my experiences, I should be able to come to some conclusions.

I've been looking into accelerometers  for my iPhone to see if that wouldn't aid me in my quest to see what works and what doesn't. I've seen a few things but I haven't pulled the trigger yet. However; even if that doesn't happen, I'm going through with this. So, stay tuned for my results throughout the coming Spring weeks.

The Noble GX5 will be sporting the aMTBer Smoothe Lube to start.

 Lube-Off To Get Underway:

I've got two bikes set to go now on the Lube-Off which was announced recently. The contenders are WPL Wet Lube, Lilly Lube, and the aMTBer Smoothe Lube 1.2.

The Noble GX5 will be sporting the Smoothe Lube 1.2 and as a matter of fact, it has had it on for a while already. I'll be doing a finishing up on time with that lube and then move this bike over to the WPL Wet Lube to get that rotated into the mix.

The Fargo Gen I will be getting Lilly Lube. Although the Lilly Lube says it can go over any previous lube, since it self-cleans, I will be stripping the Fargo's chain anyway and keeping a level playing field with regard to the other lubricants in this test/shoot-out. So, I should be started with all of this as you read this today. Look for any updates soon, as the time limitation is six hours, and after that a final verdict on each lube is given.

The "control" lube is still the DuMonde Tech lube which I am running on the pink Black Mountain Cycles MCD. I already have a couple hours on that one as well. Keep in mind, the chain was touched up after the last Lube-Off and has not had any maintenance since that time.

 C.O.G. 100 Hats:

Check it out! N.Y. Roll models the new C.O.G. 100 hats which just came in Wednesday. Each participant in the event is going to receive one of these at either the pre-race event at Peace Tree downtown Grinnell, or you will get it when you check in at the event venue.

The design was put together by myself and executed by Bike Rags which is located here in Iowa. Check them out if you need any custom apparel for your club, team, or event. N.Y. Roll and I have been pretty happy with their stuff and customer service is top notch. Bike Rags is our supplier for the Iowa Single Speed Gravel Championship jerseys as well.

I have access to a few extras in regards to the hats. One is spoken for. I may have a couple others. If you really have to have one, make me an offer. I'll see what I can do. Otherwise this is it. We wanted to keep these special for those riders that committed to the C.O.G.100.


Okay, that's all for this week! Have a great weekend and get out there and ride!